Stranded
by boop-oop-ee-doo
Summary: House and co. are left stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. The experience brings the doctors closer than ever before, and some find love in places they never thought to look.
1. The calm before the storm

"This is going to be such fun" everyone's favourite Vicodin addict doctor, Gregory House, said sarcastically, as he waited in line at airport security

He was accompanied by Cuddy, Wilson, Amber, Chase, Cameron, and his current ducklings. Cuddy rolled her eyes. "you couldn't even wait until we got to the conference to start withthe sarcasm, could you House?"

"Nope", he said, popping some Vicodin. "You sound surprised".

"No, she's just annoyed with your attitude", said Amber, smirking.

" Quiet, Cutthroat bitch, the grownups are talking"

"HOUSE!" shouted Cuddy and Wilson in unison.

"Oops. Not supposed to call her that anymore am I? Sorry. I forgot."

The rest of the group had been watching this exchange with various reactions. Foreman rolled his eyes, Chase had a "Here we go again" look on

his face, Cameron was smirking slightly, Taub and Kutner were looking on in interest, and Thirteen, while giving no outward sign that she was Paying any attention, was actually listening quite intently.

Eventually, Cuddy reached the head of the line and gave her bag to the inspector. " I'm bored mommy" House whined.

"Look out the window then" said Cuddy. "Thats the only entertainment we've got right now"

House sighed, and turned to the window. A look of mild concern crossed his face. "That storm looks pretty nasty".

"Very funny House" said Cuddy. "There's no way you're getting out of this conference"


	2. Crash and burn

Eventually, everyone made it through security and onto the plane. House sat next to Cuddy, with Wilson and Amber behind them, followed by Taub and Foreman, then Chase and Cameron, with Kutner and Thirteen bringing up the rear.

"Attention passengers" came the pilot's voice over the radio, "Please turn your attention to the front of the plane, where our flight attendant will be demonstrating the proper safety procedures"

Upon hearing this, House quickly put on his ipod. "House!" Cuddy scolded, "You should be paying attention, we might need this"

"It's more likely i'll win the lottery" House replied, laying back in his seat. "It's also very likely i'll fall asleep. Wake me when we get there Cuddles"

"House! House! Wake up!" Cuddy cried, shaking him by the shoulder. "The plane's going down!" All of a sudden, House saw his cane shatter against the wall of the plane, part of it hitting Amber in the head, and found himself wishing he had paid better attention to the safety demonstration. The last thing he heard was the panicked screams of his colleagues, felt Cuddy grasp his hand and saw her frightened blue eyes stare into his, then... nothing.

The next thing he remembered was Cameron looking down at him with concern, which turned quickly to relief when House opened his eyes. Eyes. Blue, scared. "Cuddy!" House cried, suddenly realising the seat next to him was empty. He stood quickly, then sat back down as pain shot through his bad leg. "Where's Cuddy?" he asked, Cameron, trying desperately to hide from her the fear he felt that the Dean of medicine could be hurt.

"She's outside with the others" said Cameron. "She has a cut on her head that'll need stitches, and Amber's got a concussion from your cane hitting her, but other than that we're all fine... except for the pilot and the flight attendant" she added sadly.

House, leaning on Cameron for support, hobbled out of the plane. Looking around, it appeared they were on some sought of deserted island. "Hmm, interesting" he said. "Plane crashes on a deserted island, and everyone survives except for the pilot and the flight attendant. Reminds me of an episode of my favourite soap opera"


	3. Hidden feelings

Disclaimer: Forgot this first 2 chappies. oops. I don't own House MD

* * *

Seeing as House had seemed so worried about Cuddy, Cameron helped him over to where she sat on the beach, just as Chase had finished stitching up the deep cut in the side of her head. Wilson sat next to them, Amber's head on his shoulder, trying to keep his concussed girlfriend from falling asleep. House sat between Cuddy and Wilson, while Chase and Cameron headed into the forest after Kutner and Thirteen who had gone to search for firewood. House turned to the dean of medicine, with an expression rarely seen on him, one of true care and concern.

"Are you okay Cuddles?" he asked.

"Okay as I can be, I guess" She replied. "How are you? I was worried when you didn't wake up"

"Ha! That's an understatement" said Amber, lifting her head from Wilson's shoulder. "She was hysterical. Chase and Foreman had to drag her out of the plane. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was in love with you!" Cuddy blushed, and Wilson found himself feeling awkward, but House felt a small and unexpected thrill at the suggestion that Cuddy might be in love with him. Did this mean that he was in love with her? No, he couldn't be. But he did know one thing- whatever this was, it had just made the two doctors lives a lot more complicated.

Late that night, after all the other doctors had gone to sleep, House lay staring up at the stars. The pain in his leg kept him wide awake, and, he appeared to have misplaced his Vicodin. Suddenly, he heard someone whimper beside him. Cuddy. She was shivering. House took his blanket (Taub and Foreman had found blankets in the plane), and draped it over her, then brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen into her face. He gave a small smile when she stopped shivering.

"I knew there was something going on between you two." House looked up, and saw Amber sitting by the fire. He should have remembered he wouldn't be the only one awake. Amber had offered to stay up and keep watch in case the fire caught something or someone turned up to rescue them. So, House being House, decided to handle this situation in the only way he could think of. Pretend like it was a joke.

"Something going on? Between me and Cuddy? Yeah right," he scoffed, "Very funny, Cutthroat bitch." Amber's eyes narrowed.

"You're not supposed to call me that"

"Wilson's asleep. I can call you anything I want" House retorted.

"Whatever" Amber shrugged. "Just remember this. You can't hide the way you feel, House. I've never seen you be as gentle as you were with Cuddy just now. That's love."

House lay back down and rolled over, so that he was facing away from Amber. He didn't want her to see the look on his face. Because, as much as he tried to deny it, he knew that she was right.


	4. A diamond in the rough

Disclaimer: I don't own House MD

* * *

The next morning, Kutner sat watching Thirteen dragging large sticks out of the bushes. This was partly because he had a little crush on her, and partly because he was wondering why the hell she was dragging sticks out of the bushes. He sat like this for a long while. Eventually, Thirteen looked up from her work, fixing her green eyes on him.

"Why are you watching me Kutner?" Kutner froze, taken aback by Thirteen's sudden interest in him. When he didn't answer, the mysterious young doctor walked towards him, eyes unblinking, her gaze never leaving his. Soon she was standing over him, her hands on her hips. It was very intimidating. "Why were you watching me?" she repeated.

"I, uh," Kutner began, "I was... I was just wondering what you were doing, that's all"

"Oh", said Thirteen, sounding a little surprised. To tell the truth, she didn't think any of the other doctors cared enough about her to be bothered with what she was doing. "_But maybe I was wrong_", she thought.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," said Kutner, who had regained his composure, "what exactly were you doing?"

" I was making a HELP sign" said Thirteen, gesturing to a pile of sticks which, on closer inspection, Kutner saw had been arranged into a letter "H".

"Oh. Wouldn't it be easier to just write it in the sand?"

"Yes, but then I'd just have to do it again if it got blown away by the wind, or a wave washed over it. This way is much more practical"

"Okay. Do you uh... want some help?" Kutner asked. Thirteen stared at Kutner for a second, again surprised that someone actually seemed to give a damn about her. It was nice to feel like she wasn't a complete outsider, and to know that she wasn't completely alone.

"Yeah, some help would be great" she replied.

Together, they soon managed to construct an "E" and an "L". Then, on one of her stick gathering trips, Thirteen returned with a stick that would be used for a different, though no less helpful purpose.

"Hey Kutner, look at this" said Thirteen, showing him the stick. "What does it remind you of?"

"Uh," said Kutner sounding a bit puzzled, "I guess it kind of looks a little like House's cane..."

"Exactly" Thirteen replied, turning and walking away. "I'll be back in a minute"

It wasn't long before Thirteen found her boss. He looked quite pale, and had dark rings under his eyes from lack of sleep. She tapped him on the shoulder and wordlessly handed him the stick.

"Wow. A stick" said House sarcasticly. "Thank you for blessing me with this wonderful gift" Thirteen just smiled and shook her head at him. They both knew perfectly well what that stick was for, and no matter how much he tried to hide it, she knew he was grateful.

New temporary cane in hand, House, fighting through the pain in his leg, began searching for his Vicodin. He wasn't having much luck. Suddenly, Wilson came running up to him, panic etched in his face.

"House, have you seen a little black ring box anywhere? I've lost it"

"And I've lost my Vicodin. We all have problems Jimmy" House paused, as Wilson's words sunk in. "Hang on... a ring box? Why do you have a ring?"

"It's for Amber" Wilson replied. "Chase was looking after it for me so she didn't find it, but he must have dropped it when he was out looking for firewood yesterday"

House's eyes widened. "You're marrying the Cutthroat bitch?!"

"House!"

"Right, sorry. You're marrying Amber?!"

"Well,I was going to ask her sometime during the conference, which is why I need you to help me find it before someone rescues us. Chase and Cuddy are helping too"

"Alright" said House, although he knew wandering through the forest wouldn't do his leg much good. "But you owe me so many drinks when we get home"

The search party split into two pairs, Chase and Wilson, and House and Cuddy. Cameron had stayed behind to make sure Amber didn't work out what was going on, and nobody else had been informed of the plan, which made the fact that something _was_ going on less obvious. House and Cuddy were walking through the forest in silence. House was trying to keep his mind off the now nearly unbearable pain in his leg by putting all of his energy into scanning the ground for any sign of the ring.

"House" said Cuddy, suddenly breaking the silence

"Mmmhmm" said House, his eyes still fixed on the ground.

"It was you who gave me the extra blanket wasn't it?"

"Yup" he said, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal.

"Why?"

"You were cold" he shrugged. "Besides, I wasn't sleeping any way because-" As if to emphasise his point, a shot of pain coursed through his leg, making him wince.

"House! Are you alright?" said Cuddy, grabbing his arm to give him extra support. House shook his head, and Cuddy moved in front of him. When she looked into the sweaty, pale, face and saw the pain in those amazing ice-blue eyes, she knew exactly what was wrong, and wrapped him in a warm hug.

"You've lost your pills haven't you?" she whispered. House nodded.

"Maybe we should go back" she said "Chase and Wilson can.."

"Wait," said House, as something over Cuddy's shoulder caught his eye. "Look, over there, in that clump of flowers." Cuddy walked over to investigate further, and sure enough, there was a little black box, laying open to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring.

"A diamond in the rough" said House.

"Yeah" said Cuddy, smiling. "_I know one of those" _she thought


	5. Withdrawal

Disclaimer: I don't own House MD

* * *

Not much had changed when House and Cuddy returned to the beach. Except that Foreman was erecting two crosses, sticks lashed together with long grass, in the place where he had apparently buried the pilot and flight attendant. Cameron sat chatting to Amber, and Taub was in the plane trying to fix the radio. The only thing that seemed mildly unusual was the fact that Kutner and Thirteen were lying side by side, one of them occasionally pointing up at a cloud.

"Ah, young love" said House, gesturing at his two young fellows. "Bet you fifty bucks they've slept together by the tme we're rescued"

"Oh, House" said Cuddy, rolling her eyes.

"What? we're stranded on a deserted island, Cuddles. These things happen. Just imagine it," he said, moving behind Cuddy and whispering in her ear. "A cold dark night, staring up at the stars." Cuddy felt a slight shiver as his warm breath tickled the back of her neck. "You move a little closer to the person next to you. You're both cold. There's only one way to keep warm..." By this point, Cuddy's cheeks were flushed bright red and she stepped away from him.

"I, uh, think there's some Aspirin in the first-aid kit" she said, thinking of some reason to get away from House before he made her do something incredibly stupid. "I know it won't help much, but I'll go get it for you. House watched Cuddy walk away, and anyone watching would have thought he was just admiring her ass as he usually did. In reality, he was staring at the back of her head, about the spot her eyes would be if she had been facing him. Sure, her ass and her boobs and her legs were nice and all, but he really loved Cuddy's eyes. They were similar to his, and yet very different. His eyes were icy and cold. Hers were kind and warm. House was pulled from his thoughts by Wilson tapping him on the shoulder. Chase was with him.

"Any luck?" He asked. House pulled the ring out of his pocket and handed it to Wilson.

"Thankyou" he said, relieved.

"Just don't lose the damn thing again" said House.

"Technically it was me that actually lost it" said Chase.

"Yes," said House,"and that is why we're not supposed to leave valuable items with wombats."

Late that night, Cuddy was woken by a figure tossing and turning beside her. House. He was shaking. This time it was her turn to hand over a blanket.

"Don't" House groaned, as she wrapped the blanket around him. "I'm fine"

"You don't look fine" said Cuddy, removing the jacket she was wearing and placing this over him also.

"Don't. I'm fine" he repeated.

"No you're not. Stop being so stubborn." House sat up to look at her, his pale face shining with sweat, enhancing the dark circles under his eyes. Cuddy sighed. "You haven't had any sleep since we've been here have you?" House shook his head. Cuddy sighed again. "Come on. We'll go sit by the fire and take over watch duty. If we're going to be awake, we might as well be doing something useful."

"You don't have to stay up because I am"

"I know. But I want to"

"God, is he alright?" asked Thirteen, seeing House hobbling towards the fire, with one arm around Cuddy for extra support.

"He's fine Dr. Hadley" said Cuddy. "He's just lost his pain meds. You can go get some sleep, we'll keep watch" Thirteen nodded and began walking away.

"Hey Thirteen!" House called after her.

"Yes?"she asked, looking back.

"Would you mind speeding things up a little with Kutner? I've got fifty bucks riding on you two doing it before we're rescued"

"Uh, Kutner and I are just friends" said Thirteen, a faint blush crossing her cheeks.

"Sure you are. And Amber's not a Cutthroat Bitch" said House sarcasticly.

"I..I.. You know what, I don't have to talk to you about this" she turned and walked away.

"Have fun!" House called, sitting down by the fire, and wincing as a particularly nasty jolt of pain shot through his leg. Cuddy sat down beside him. She handed him a couple of Aspirin, and began massaging his bad thigh.

"I never agreed to that bet you know" she said as House swallowed the pills.

"I know you didn't," he said, yawning. "Cameron did. She said they wouldnt be that stupid." House lay down by the side of the fire, and Cuddy stopped massaging his thigh. House was now so tired that not even pain could keep him awake, and he soon fell asleep. Cuddy adjusted the blankets over him and lifted his head into her lap, absent mindedly stroking his hair. Eventually, watch duty forgotten, She too fell asleep, and House subconsciously draped half the blanket, and his arm, around her.


	6. Maybe, baby

Disclaimer: I don't own House MD

AN: Sorry I haven't updated, I had knee surgery last week and only came home a few days ago.

* * *

Cameron was the first awake the next morning, and was surprised to find House's bottle of pills lying in the sand beside her. _"That's weird" _she thought, _"I'm sure those weren't there when I went to sleep"._Shrugging off the strange occurrence, and being careful not to wake Chase, Cameron moved his arm from around her waist, grabbed the pills, and stood up feeling a sudden rush of dizziness that almost made her sick. Dismissing it as standing up to quickly, Cameron took a deep breath and scanned the beach for her former boss. She gave a small smile as she spotted House and Cuddy laying by the dying embers of last night's fire. If anyone else had found them, they probably would have been angry that they had fallen asleep while keeping watch. Cameron, however, thought it was sweet, a word she never thought she'd use in relation to anything that House did, but he had apparently proved her wrong. She walked over to the two older doctors, suppressing another wave of nausea along the way, and gently shook Cuddy awake. Cuddy, startled at seeing House's arm around her, quickly threw him off. House groaned, but remained asleep.

"I swear I didn't know we were doing that" said Cuddy. Cameron smiled.

"You know, there was a time when I would have given anything to be in that position with him"

"And now?" Cuddy asked, feeling a little jealous as she remembered House's past romantic dalliances with Cameron.

"No" said Cameron, glancing over at the sleeping Chase. "Now I'm happy right where I am" Then, remembering why she was here in the first place, she handed Cuddy the pills, and walked over to the plane to find something to eat, thinking hunger might be the cause of her nausea.

"Where did you find these?" said Cuddy, "We were looking all over for them"

"It was weird" said Cameron, feeling a really strong urge to throw up as she looked at the food, "T-they were just lying next to me this morning" She decided to ditch the idea of eating, and stumbled out of the plane. Cuddy saw this, and was concerned.

"Are you alright Dr.Cameron? You look a bit pale" as Cuddy said this, Cameron felt bile rising in her throat. She clapped a hand over her mouth , rushed to the edge of the bushes, and began emptying the contents of her stomach. Cuddy quickly tucked House's Vicodin into his pocket (she'd tell him it was there later) and ran over to help Cameron, pulling her hair out of her face as she continued throwing up.

"Uh, do you want me to go get Chase?"

"No, don't wake him" said Cameron, wiping her mouth. "I'll be alright in a minute, it was probably just something I ate"

"Normally, i'd agree with you," said Cuddy, sounding unconvinced, "But the only food we have on the plane is biscuits, potato chips, peanuts, and some really disgusting instant coffee that only Foreman can bring himself to drink"

"Maybe it's just a stomach bug then" Little did they know, that even though he still appeared to be asleep, House had been listening in for awhile, and he had come up with his own theory as to what was wrong with Cameron. He just needed to watch her for a few more days to be sure...

The next morning, Cameron threw up again. And the next morning. Cuddy, and House who was secretly watching, were the only two people who knew about this. Not even Chase, who had begun sleeping late in the mornings, noticed. By the third day of watching Cuddy hold Cameron's hair back while she spewed in the bushes, House was sure of his diagnosis.

"I've been watching the new morning routine you girls have got going" said House, startling the two women as he aproached, "And I think I know what you're problem is" Turning to Cameron, he said: "You're a few days late" Cameron's eyes widened.

"How do you..."

"I watch your cycle" House interupted, then gestured at Cuddy. "Yours too. And Amber's. Haven't quite got Thirteen's yet. Anyway, I'm getting off the point. You're late, you've been spewing you're guts out onto this poor innocent bush for the past four days, and, I think your boobs have gotten a little bigger. If I'm not mistaken Cameron, I'd say the Wombat's knocked you up" Cameron groaned and smacked a hand to her forehead. She had considered the possibilty that she might be pregnant, but had not wanted to admit it. Cuddy had thought about it too, but didn't think a deserted island was the best place to mention it. House began rummaging in the first-aid kit he was holding. He pulled out a pregnancy test and handed it to his former duckling.

"Here, pee on this" he said, prompting both Cameron and Cuddy to roll their eyes. "Then we'll know if you and Chase have a little wombat on the way"

"Okay. Um, could you two leave me alone while I do this?" Cameron asked

"Alright" said House.

"And you won't.."

"We won't tell anyone" said Cuddy, placing a reassuring hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "After all, you kept our secret when we fell asleep on watch, and you didn't tell anyone that we were..."

"Spooning" House finished the sentence for her.

"Yes, that. So, your secret's safe with us, for as long as you want it kept"

A few minutes later, Cameron sat on the beach, rocking back and forth as she waited for the results of the test, which was laying in front of her with a piece of bark placed over it. Her emotions were a mixture of excitement and fear. She didn't know if she was ready to be a mother. What if she was no good at it? What if Chase didn't want a baby? She couldn't get rid of it, that was for sure. If this test was positive, she would have the baby, with or without her boyfriend's support.

"Dr.Cameron?" Cameron lifted her head up to see Thirteen gazing down at her. The look in her eyes said it all. She knew. Cameron groaned.

"I should have known House wouldn't be able to keep this quiet"

"House didn't say anything" said Thirteen. "No-one did. I was on watch duty and I heard.. well, you know. I didn't mean to, I wasn't spying or anything."

"I believe you. Now if you don't mind, I kind of want to be left alone"

"I know. But I just wanted to tell you something. For what its worth, and I know that's not much because we hardly know each other, I think you'll make a great mother Dr.Cameron." Thirteen turned to walk away, but Cameron stopped her.

"Wait" she called. "Do you mean that? Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, if the way you act around patients is anything to go by, you'll be an amazing mum."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I'll do alright" Cameron glanced at the test. "I think it's time"

"I'll go" said Thirteen, again turning to walk away.

"No, stay." Cameron reached out and grabbed the other woman's hand, pulling her back. "I thought I'd be okay on my own, but now I feel like I need someone with me for this"

"Okay then" said Thirteen, kneeling beside Cameron. Cameron took a deep breath and moved the bark. The test was blue. Positive. She was pregnant.

"Will you be jealous?" House asked Cuddy as they walked along the beach.

"Huh?"

"If Cameron's pregnant. Will you be jealous?" House repeated, "Because, you know, you were trying on purpose to knock yourself up for so long and now Cameron and Chase have done it by accident"

"I don't know" Cuddy sighed. "Maybe a little. But I've kind of given up on actively trying to have a baby. If it's meant to happen for me, it will. I have to have faith in that." Cuddy was surprised when House remained silent. "Aren't you supposed to but in with some sarcastic comment at this point?"

"I would, but i figured you don't really need that right now" he shrugged. Cuddy raised an eyebrow.

"That never stopped you before"

"Well, it's stopping me now"

Meanwhile, Cameron had found Chase to break the news that he was going to be a father. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked up from his conversation with Foreman.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, smiling and kissing her on the cheek.

"We, uh, need to talk"

"Okay" said Chase, shrugging at Foreman as he walked away with Cameron. They kept walking until they were out of anyone's earshot.

"Well," Cameron began, "this is kind of difficult to say..."

"You're not breaking up with me are you?" He asked, sounding a little worried.

"No. At least I hope not. Chase, I..." she falterered, afraid of his reaction, " I... I'm pregnant." Chase looked surprised.

"You're pregnant" he repeated slowly, letting the information sink in. "You're pregnant" a huge smile spread across his face."You're pregnant! We're going to have a baby!"

"Yeah" Cameron smiled, laughing as Chase scooped her up bridal style and spun her around in circles, chanting, "We're going to have a baby!, we're going to have a baby!" All Camerons worries had melted away and she knew that everything was going to be okay. If they were ever rescued, that is.

* * *

AN: Aww, how sweet. Just a little hint, the part about House's pills ending up next to Cameron will be important later on.


	7. A little laughter

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

* * *

The next few days passed without incident, apart from the celebration of Chase and Cameron's baby news, and House getting bored and trying to burn Vicodin just to see what happened.

"Stop that!" Cuddy scolded him. "You need to be careful with those House, or you'll run out," her voice softened slightly now, "and you know what happens when you don't have them"

"You raise a valid point Cuddles" said House, not mentioning his recent realisation that, with or without his pills, his leg always seemed to hurt less when she was around. He reached a hand out towards the fire in order to try and retrieve the now melting Vicodin, but Cuddy slapped it away.

"Damn it House! Do you have a death wish or something?"

"What can I say? I'm a daredevil" House shrugged. "Yesterday, I set Wilson's pants on fire"

"Yes," said Cuddy, rolling her eyes, "because he was smart enough not to leave you in charge of the flare gun Taub found"

"Uh-huh. Don't understand why he was so mad though. He wasn't wearing them"

"No, because he was having a wash!" Cried Cuddy, gesturing to the sea. At that moment, Foreman approached them.

"Hey, you two. Taub's trying to gather everyone by the plane to talk about something. Says its important."

"Well, I'm going to get straight to the point" Taub began after everyone had gathered. "We're running out of food" Everyone gasped, except for Chase and Cameron, who weren't paying attention because she was giggling as he kissed the back of her neck, prompting House to wack Chase across the shins, causing the younger man to yelp. Cameron glared at him.

"What?" he said defensively. "I can't very well go hitting you now can I? You're a girl, and you're pregnant"

"So," Taub continued, ignoring the interruption, "does anyone have any ideas?"

About an hour later, Taub, Foreman, Chase, Wilson, and Amber were preparing to go on a fruit hunting expedition. House was staying behind under the guise that he was calculating how long the food they did have left would last them, but it was really because he wanted to stay with Cuddy, who had offered to stay behind with Cameron. Chase had already become extremely overprotective, and had decided that the untamed bushland was no place for his pregnant girlfriend. Kutner and Thirteen, who had been spending quite a lot of time together on the island, were sitting a little way apart from the others, sharpening sticks in order to try their hand at spear fishing.

"Thanks for volunteering for fishing duty with me" said Thirteen.

"No problem" said Kutner. "This'll be more interesting than fruit hunting, and at least if we don't catch anything it won't be completely my fault"

"Are you trying to say that you'll blame me if you screw up?" said Thirteen, fixing her eyes on Kutner in a deadly serious glare. Kutner gulped. No girl had ever had quite the effect on him that Thirteen did. She was intimidating him and completely turning him on at the same time.

"No, uh, no way, I w-wouldnt blame you" Kutner stammered. Thirteen smirked.

"Calm down there buddy. I was only messing with you"

"Well most people laugh when they make a joke"

"I'm not that big on laughter" said Thirteen, turning her attention to checking the sharpness of her stick.

"Yeah, I can see that" Kutner paused for a second, thinking. "You know what? Everyone needs a little bit of laughter in their life. I'm going to help you, Thirteen. Somehow, I'm going to make you laugh"

"Well, good luck then" said Thirteen, sounding unconvinced. "I'm going to get changed. The sticks are sharp enough now" As she walked off towards the plane, which had come to be used as a change room, among other things, Kutner sighed to himself. How the hell was he going to make Thirteen laugh? She rarely even looked close to laughter. He thought about this until Thirteen returned, tapping him on the shoulder.

"You ready to go Kutner?" Kutner looked up, and gasped, his mouth falling open. Thirteen was standing over him, looking incredibly hot in a black bikini.

"Kutner?" she repeated, waving a hand in front of his face, "Earth to Kutner!" Kutner broke out of his trance, pulling off his shirt.

"Yeah, I'm ready" he said, blushing slightly.

"Damn it!" Kutner yelled as his stick scattered a school of fish, without killing any, for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Maybe it's time we tried a different approach" said Thirteen, who had not had any luck either. "Try focusing on an individual fish, instead of stabbing aimlessly into the school"

"Right" said Kutner. Eventually, he found another school, chose a fish, took aim, and struck. Unfortunately he missed, hit a rock, broke his stick and slipped over, landing on his butt. He cursed himself for looking like an idiot in front of Thirteen, until he looked up at her. She had a strange expression on her face, which slowly changed into a smile, before finally breaking into a fit of laughter. He'd done it. He'd made her laugh when he wasn't even trying to. Thirteen, still laughing, walked over and offered him her hand, but instead of helping him up, she slipped and landed beside him. Now they were both laughing. Holding on to eachother's hands they managed to stand half-way up, before Kutner slipped again and landed on his back, pulling Thirteen down on top of him_._

_"Crap" _Kutner thought. _"This is awkward. Just laugh it off and walk away,laugh it off and walk away"._ This was what Kutner wanted to do. What he actually did was say...

"You're beautiful" Thirteen stared at him for a second, and Kutner blushed furiously, having no idea what she was thinking.

"I, uh," he stammered, "I.." suddenly, he was cut off by Thirteen's lips pressing against his. His eyes widened in surprise, but he soon closed them, wrapping his arms around Thirteen's waist and relaxing into the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Kutner smiled.

"I told you I'd make you laugh" he said. Thirteen just smirked and leaned in to kiss him again.

Unbeknownst to the new couple, this entire scene had been witnessed by House, Cuddy, and Cameron.

"Told you so" House teased, sticking his tongue out at Cameron, who shook her head.

"They haven't gotten that far yet, it's only their first kiss"

"Maybe, but, look at the position they're in" said House, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, once again earning eye rolls from Cameron and Cuddy.


	8. Dreams and heartbeats

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

* * *

That night, Cuddy, unable to sleep, sat with her blanket pulled around her shoulders, guarding herself against the chill of the wind. She thought about going to talk to Foreman, who was on watch duty, but glancing at House, who lay sleeping just a few inches away from her, she decided against it. He had been sleeping a lot more soundly since Cameron had returned his Vicodin, but he was still often troubled by nightmares about his father's abuse. Cuddy had discovered that by whispering comforting words to him in his sleep, by simply being there, she could calm him down, and stop those nightmares, without even waking him up. _"Maybe all he needs is someone to be there" _she thought. _"Maybe thats all anyone needs." _With this in mind, Cuddy found herself thinking back to a conversation she'd had with Cameron earlier that day...

"It's going to be another cold night tonight" Cameron remarked.

"Great" said Cuddy sarcastically.

"Not a fan of cold?"

"Well, let's just say it doesn't help my sleeping" ( "_although looking back," _Cuddy thought, "_my lack of sleep is probably caused just as much by sitting up looking after House as it is by cold")_

"I don't really like having to sleep out in the cold either," said Cameron, placing a hand on her stomach, "especially now that I have this little one to worry about. But it's like any other situation where you can't sleep really. Just find the thing that relaxes you, and helps you nod off. Everyone has something"

"What is it for you?" asked Cuddy, sounding curious. "The thing that helps you sleep, I mean" Cameron paused for a second, and Cuddy almost thought she wasn't going to answer, but she did.

"It's Chase's heartbeat" she said finally. "I listen to Chase's heartbeat. It always helps me to relax" Before Cuddy could respond to this, the two women heard House calling to them.

"Hey Cuddy, Cameron! Come see what Kutner and Thirteen are doing! One of you is going to be short fifty bucks very soon!" The two women looked at each other, then shrugged, getting up to go see what House was talking about...

_"A heartbeat" _Cuddy thought to herself. She glanced at House for a second, then found herself looking around at all of the couples. Chase and Cameron, Wilson and Amber, and now Kutner and Thirteen. She noticed that in each couple, the woman had her head resting on the mans chest, in the perfect position to hear his heartbeat. She looked back at House, biting her lip, then glanced over at Foreman sitting by the fire. He was staring out at the ocean. He wouldn't see what she was about to do, and even if he did, in his words "he wouldn't give a damn". Cuddy slowly shuffled over to House, lifting his arm so she could get close enough to him, then laid down beside him, leaning her head gently against his chest. _Thump thump. _There it was, House's heartbeat. _Thump thump thump. Thump thump thump. _Cuddy found herself feeling extremely calm and relaxed, and soon drifted off to sleep. Little did she know that by this small act of closeness with House, she had saved him from yet another nightmare, and that by saving him from his nightmares, she had quite often become the subject of House's more pleasant dreams.

_Young Gregory House was plunged into a bathtub filled with icy water. As he struggled under the surface, a kind voice broke through the sound of water rushing around his ears, and his father's furious yelling._

_"Not this dream again" said the voice, as though it was frustrated with him. "Come on, take my hand, there's a good boy" Gregory saw a woman's pale hand reaching towards him, and his own hand reached out and took it without hesitation. The hand dragged him out of the freezing water, and the now adult House found himself standing on a beach, clinging to the hand of Lisa Cuddy._

_"What did I tell you about those nightmares?" she said, stepping closer to him. "Why dream about those things," she said, pulling herself up so that she could whisper seductively into his ear, "When you can dream about me?" She crushed her lips against his, and before House even had time to process what was going on, her tongue was skimming across his bottom lip, begging to be let in. He parted his lips slightly, allowing her tongue to slip into his mouth, and he eventually let his tongue slide into hers. The kiss lasteed for a long while as this being a dream, the need for air was non-existent. Eventually, House broke the kiss._

_"Why do I keep dreaming about you?" he said quietly._

_"Because you love me" said Cuddy, leaning in for another kiss, but House pulled away._

_"I can't love you"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because... because... well, even if I did, nothing could ever come of it. You'd never love me back" he turned and began to walk away, but Cuddy followed him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him around to face her._

_"How can you be so sure? How do you know I'm not having the same dream right now? I've saved your job so many times when it would have been much easier to just fire you. How do you know that's not out of love?"_

_"I'ts not" said House. "You save my job because i'm an asset to the hospital. You've said so"_

_"Well, what about when you lost your pills? Who sat up half the night looking after you?" House couldn't think of an excuse for this, so he remained silent._

_"Wake up House" said Cuddy, turning and walking away. "If you're so sure I don't love you, wake up and see where I am right now"_

House woke, blinking sleep out of his eyes.

""Weird dream... What the hell?!" he cried, spotting the sleeping Cuddy curled up against his chest. She shifted slightly when he moved, but stayed asleep, and House, recovering from the surprise of seeing the woman curled up against him, was drifting off again too, with a smile on his face.

_"Maybe she does love me..."_


	9. The bitch with a heart of gold

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN: In your reviews, tell me if you want Chase and Cameron's baby to be a boy or a girl. I'll go on the popular vote.

* * *

Another couple of days passed, and although no one said a word about it, they knew they were all worried about the same thing. That rescue would never come. This made the search for food even more vital. So, one morning, while everyone else was having another meeting, headed up by Wilson, who had somehow become the unofficial leader of the doctors, about the food shortage, Thirteen was setting off on a solo fishing trip. Besides, she figured that nobody would notice she was missing, except Kutner, who she'd told she was going for a walk. She had considered taking Kutner with her, but aside from the fact that people would notice if _he _was missing (or at least notice before they would have noticed her), she planned to swim out further than Kutner had ever been willing to go on their previous trips.

"We can't go out too far, Thirteen" he'd said. "It could be dangerous. We might get caught in a rip, or stung by something, or.." Thirteen smiled, remembering that she had had to kiss him to shut him up. Then, a small wave of guilt came over her. She'd promised him that she wouldn't go out too far, but stepping into the water, she pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind.

"I'm sorry Kutner" she whispered to herself. "This isn't about promises. It's about survival" They needed more food. Deeper water meant more fish, and more fish meant a greater chance of catching one. Thirteen walked further into the water, and soon she was so deep that her feet could barely touch the ground. She waded further, and couldn't touch the ground at all. Taking a deep breath, Thirteen dove beneath the surface, taking a few seconds to marvel at her surroundings, before gripping her newly sharpened stick and returning to the task at hand. She returned to the surface and took a few breaths before diving again. After awhile, she found a school of fish. As she prepared to try and spear one, Thirteen suddenly felt an excruciating, stinging pain in her thigh. She tried to cry out, causing her mouth to fill with water. Spinning around, she found the source of her pain, she had been stung by a jellyfish. Feeling the water flowing into her lungs, Thirteen struggled to the surface. She had to try and reach the shore before the pain of the sting overwhelmed her, but she was unsure if she had enough strength to make it. Lucky for her then, that someone other than Kutner had noticed she was missing. Someone, in fact, who was one of the last people she expected to care...

"Where's Thirteen?" Amber asked Kutner, just after the meeting ended.

"She went for a walk. She's been gone for awhile now actually" replied Kutner, sounding a little worried. "I better go look for her"

"I'll come with you" said Amber. Kutner raised his eye brow at this. He'd always got the impression that Amber, well, if not hated, at least disliked Thirteen, but he shrugged it off, and the two set off down the beach, following Thirteens footprints.

"Hey, aren't those her shoes?" said Amber, pointing. Kutner ran up to the shoes, and his heart sank. Thirteen's now barefoot prints led to the ocean.

"She's in the water" He said with a sick feeling in his stomach as Amber appeared beside him. "Thirteen's in the water" As if to confirm Kutner's assessment of the situation, Thirteen's head broke the water's surface. She was a long way out, and it was clear she was struggling. Kutner kicked off his shoes, whipped off his shirt and ran into the water, realising that Amber had beaten him to it, diving in fully clothed. Thirteen slipped below the surface but, emerged again a few seconds later.

"Try and keep your head up Thirteen!" Amber yelled. Kutner had caught up and was now swimming just behind her. By now, the others realised that something was up, and had come to see what was happening.

"What's going on?" Wilson asked House.

"Thirteen's in the water. She's in trouble. Kutner and Cutthroat- I mean Amber, have gone in to get her" Wilson looked out to the sea to see Kutner and his hopefully soon-to-be fiance' swimming towards a struggling Thirteen.

"But... how did she get that far out so quickly?" said Wilson. "The meeting only finished a minute ago"

"She wasn't at the meeting" said House, looking around at the others. "didn't anyone else notice?" While the other doctors were left feeling an incredible sense of guilt, Amber reached Thirteen, just as she slipped underwater again.

"Oh no you don't" said Amber, diving to grab Thirteen, and in the process spotting the angry red welts on her thigh. Amber pulled Thirteen to the surface.

"Thank you Amber" she whispered weakly. Amber just nodded, Kutner catching her attention as he swam up.

"Take her other arm, she's been stung by a jellyfish" she said. With an arm each around their shoulders, Amber and Kutner managed to get Thirteen safely back to shore. When they did, they found themselves surrounded by the others, who began shooting questions left and right. Due to the horrible pain in her leg, Thirteen was barely aware of what was going on, and all she could do was cling to Kutner, who was clutching her for dear life.

"Just back off, all of you!"Amber shouted at the others. "Give the woman some room to breathe, she nearly drowned for god's sake!" As the other doctors walked away, Amber turned back to Thirteen, who couldn't quite decipher the meaning behind the look the Cutthroat bitch was giving her.

"Will you be okay now Thirteen?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so" Thirteen replied.

"Good" said Amber, walking away.

A few minutes later, House came back to where Kutner sat with Thirteen's head resting in his lap, her eyes closed.

"That's a very painful looking sting you've got there" said House. Thirteen nodded, not opening her eyes. "You know there's medical evidence to support that peeing on a jellyfish sting can..."

"NO WAY!!" Kutner yelled. "NO WAY! NO HOW! NUH-UH!" Thirteen just shook her head weakly.

"Okay, not getting much support for the pee idea" said House, shaking a Vicodin out of his bottle, which was nearing empty, and handing it to Kutner, who gave it to Thirteen, who was now sitting up. "Take that" House finished. He left his ducklings alone, and ended up running into Cuddy, who had seen the whole thing.

"That was kind of stupid House" said Cuddy. _"sweet," _she thought, _"but stupid" _

"And why would that be, Cuddles?"

"You don't have many pills left" she continued, "I know, I checked" House shrugged, as the pair continued up the beach.

"Actually, I've found something else that works just as well as the Vicodin"

"What?" asked Cuddy, curious. _"You" _House thought, then shook his head.

"Nevermind, Cuddles" he replied. "It doesn't matter"

Later that day, after the Vicodin had done it's work, and she'd promised Kutner she'd never scare him like that again (She'd also promised herself that she'd never break another promise to him), Thirteen decided to go talk to Amber. The Cutthroat bitch had saved her life, and she wanted to know why. It wasn't long ago that they'd hated each other with the burning fire of a thousand suns. They were not friends, or at least not "dive into the ocean at the speed of light and save your life" type friends. At least she didn't think so, but then again, she'd once thought Kutner didn't care about her either. Thirteen was relieved to find Amber alone, and sat beside her.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey" Amber replied, staring out to sea. Thirteen remained silent for a long while, unsure of the right words to use.

"Amber" she said finally, "Why'd you come out to help me? Kutner could've got me himself" Now Amber stayed silent.

"Okay Thirteen," she said eventually, "Here's the thing. I don't have many friends. I never have. So, in some weird, totally messed up way, you... God, I'm no good at sentimental stuff, but you.. you're like my best friend, just because you hate me a little less than everyone else I've known. You're my best friend Thirteen. That's why I saved you"

Thirteen stared at Amber for a long time, then gave a small smile.

"I guess you're not such a cutthroat bitch after all"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that" Amber smirked. "If you lost your job, I'd totally swoop in and steal it... while I was comforting you."

"Okay Amber, you're still a bitch" Thirteen laughed, "But you're a bitch with a heart of gold"


	10. Foreshadowing

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN: In your reviews, tell me if you want Chase and Cameron's baby to be a boy or a girl. I'll go on the popular vote.

* * *

That night, House had another nightmare. But this time, it wasn't one of his usual nightmares. In fact, given the strong feelings he'd been having for a certain cuddly Dean of medicine lately, this nightmare was a lot worse...

_Cuddy was running through the forest in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. She was obviously lost._

_"Hello?" she called desperately. "Is anyone out there? Please, sombody..." A bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of her, causing Cuddy to panic and jump backwards, losing her balance and slamming her forehead into a tree. She felt blood trickling down the side of her face, and putting a hand to her head, realised she had torn her stitches open. She began to sob._

_"I am so screwed" she said to herself. "I should have listened to House..."_

House sat bolt upright, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He calmed down when he heard Cuddy sigh in her sleep beside him. He let out a breath of relief.

"Only a dream" he told himself, laying back down. He stared at Cuddy for a while, glad that she hadn't woken up. House knew perfectly well that the continuing act of Cuddy sleeping so close to him rested solely on the fact that she didn't know that he knew that she did it. Actually, if it wasn't for Dream Cuddy telling him to wake up the night before, he probably wouldn't have known, as she was gone by morning. But tonight, as he had suspected, a little cuddle bunny had come to visit him again. House placed an arm around Cuddy and pulled her closer to him, willing himself to never have another nightmare like that again. The thought that anything bad could happen to Lisa Cuddy scared him more than anything his father had ever done.

By morning, House had almost completely forgotten his nightmare, until he spotted huge storm clouds in the distance, and Cuddy preparing to head into the forest with Wilson, Chase, Taub, and Kutner.

"Where're you going Cuddles?" he asked her, trying not to sound too concerned.

"I'm going to go help look for food" she said. "I figured it's about time I did something productive around here"

"You have been productive. You've helped me, and Cameron, and you helped Wilson find the ring" House pointed out.

"Yes" said Cuddy, "But I want to do something that will benefit everyone" Looking back at the clouds, and remembering his dream, House tried desperately to think of a way to Stop Cuddy from leaving the beach.

"Look at those clouds" he said. "Looks like there's a big storm on the way. You could get caught in it. Maybe you shouldn't go" Cuddy looked at the clouds, but shook her head.

"That storm's still ages away" she said. "We should be back long before it hits"

"And if you're not?"

"Then we'll find somewhere to hide. It's not quite the life-threatening disater you're making it out to be House" House thought for a moment. Maybe he was overreacting, but still, he wanted to make sure Cuddy was safe, so he tried another idea.

"Can I come?" Cuddy looked at him and sighed.

"You know that's not a good idea"

"Why?"

"Your leg" she said. "Let's just say the storm does hit and we all have to run for cover. You can't run. You'd get left behind"

"But you'd come back for me, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yes but... but that's not the point. You can't come House. And nothing you say will stop me from going"

"Alright then" said House, defeated. While he was usually the unquestionable winner of his battles with Cuddy,he knew when to admit defeat, and this was one of those times. But as he watched his secret love walk away, he felt an urge to call after her.

"Lisa. Wait." Cuddy turned slowly, trying to recover from the shock (and slight thrill) of House using her first name. They hadn't called each other by first names since.. (she felt herself blushing), since that one night in college, all those years ago. Hoping he didn't notice her red cheeks, she looked into House's icy blue eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Just... promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

"I promise" she smiled. "Thank you Greg"

Later, House sat alone, staring out at the storm clouds as they continued creeping closer. _"It was only a dream" _he thought to himself. "_Cuddy will be fine. Besides, she's Wilson's second best friend after me. He wouldn't let her get left behind... would he?"_ House shook his head. This type of thinking was not good for his state of mind. He turned to look at Amber, Cameron, and Thirteen, who sat chatting a little way away from him. He considered going to join in their conversation, then shook his head again. Now knowing that Chase was on board with the baby, Cameron had fully embraced impending motherhood. Therefore, it was highly likely that the three women's conversation had something to do with babies, and that was a talk House did not want to be a part of. Foreman was off trying to fix the radio again. Suddenly, House heard the distant rumble of thunder, and felt o few drops of rain splattered onto his face_. "Cuddy better get back soon"_ he thought.

Before long, the rain was pouring down, but there was still no sign of Cuddy or the others. House, Cameron, Thirteen, Amber, and Foreman had all taken shelter in the plane. House was staring out the window with a look of worry on his face. Cameron placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"They'll be alright" she said, trying to hide her own worried feelings. "They have to be"

"Oh, they're back! They're back!" Thirteen cried happily, pointing at four figures running towards them. House's heart sank. There were only four, that meant someone was missing, and as Wilson, Chase, Kutner and Taub stumbled into the plane his worst fears were confirmed. Cuddy was lost.

* * *

AN:Ooh, cliffie! Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging for too long. Don't forget to tell me if you want the Chameron baby to be a boy or a girl. Also, If you wouldn't mind checking out my profile and giving some feedback on my ideas for future fics, that would be great.


	11. Family

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN: In your reviews, tell me if you want Chase and Cameron's baby to be a boy or a girl. I'll go on the popular vote.

* * *

"Are you crazy?!" Wilson yelled as House roughly shoved various items into a backpack, preparing to head out into the storm. "You can't go out there, you'll get yourself killed!" House spun around to look at his friend, his intense anger evident in his eyes.

"If you hadn't lost her, I wouldn't have to go out there!" he roared. "This is your fault Wilson!"

"I said I was sorry!" Wilson yelled back."The storm.. it was dark, and it was really hard to see through the rain. By the time I realised Cuddy was missing, it was too late to go back"

"She would have gone back for you!" House growled, now turning his attention to Chase, Taub, and Kutner. "Any of you! And not one of you freaking assholes had the guts to go back for her!" House slung the backpack over his shoulder and headed for the plane's exit, only to find it blocked by a certain pregnant former duckling.

"Get out of the way Cameron"

"No"she said. House sighed, his anger subsiding just a little.

"Please, just move" he said. "This has nothing to do with you"

"Yes it does. I'm not moving"

"I don't want to hurt you Cameron" This comment caused Chase to almost lunge at House, but Wilson held him back, sensing that Cameron knew what she was doing.

"You won't" said Cameron, her green eyes firmly fixed on House's. "Just listen to what I have to say. If you still want to leave when I'm done, you can. I won't try to stop you"

"Okay then" said House, after a pause. "Talk"

"Everyone sit down" said Cameron, looking over House's shoulder at the others. "I want you all to hear this" Everyone took a seat, then turned their attention to Cameron.

"Okay." she began. "Losing Cuddy is bad, and I agree that we do have to try and find her as soon as possible. But arguing about who's fault it is, or running off alone into the storm isn't going to help us or Cuddy" Cameron paused, letting her words sink in before continuing. "We've only managed to get as far as we have by sticking together, by working as a team. We've become, well, at least I think, we've become kind of like... like a family" she finished. House gave a half-hearted laugh.

"We're no family. We're just a bunch of doctors who happen to be stranded on an island together. Now, if that's all you have to say Dr.Cameron, I really should be going" he stood to leave, but again Cameron stopped him.

"You obviously don't get the point," said Cameron, "so no, that's not all I have to say. We _are _a family now, whether you think so or not. And in that family, Cuddy is the mother figure, the one who keeps an eye out for everyone, and gives us help and advice when we need it. She wouldn't want any of us to risk our lives running off into this storm alone. We will find Cuddy. I know we will. But we'll find her together, when it's safe, like she would want." Everyone remained silent for a while, until finally, Thirteen spoke.

"You're right" she said, walking up to Cameron and placing a hand over hers. "All for one"

"And one for all" said Amber, walking up and adding her own hand.

"Together" said Chase, as he and Taub added their hands.

"All of us" said Kutner, joining in.

"A family" Wilson smiled, looking around at his friends. Only House and Foreman stayed seated. House sighed. He knew Cameron was right. He stood and hobbled over to the group, placing his hand over Wilson's.

"As soon as this storm blows over, we're going to.."

"I know. Find Cuddy" Wilson smiled. "Don't worry House, she'll be fine. She's tough." Now, everyone stared at Foreman.

"No" he said, shaking his head at the group. "I'm sorry, but no. We are not a family. Acquaintances, yes, friends, maybe, but we are not a family." Cameron stared at him for a while before speaking.

"Okay, Foreman. Think what you want, but just remember that it's seven to one."

The storm raged all through that day, and well into the night. Before long everyone had fallen asleep, except, of course, for House, who kept his icy blue eyes fixed on the scene outside. He hoped to god that Cuddy had found some sort of shelter, because if she hadn't she could very likely die of hypothermia before they found her. By very early the next morning, so early that it was still dark, the storm had finally stopped. House looked around at his "family". They were all fast asleep. He thought about waking them, but Wilson would probably want to wait for more light before they left. But Cuddy couldn't wait. Feeling the slightest bit of guilt as he thought of Cameron's speech the previous day, House slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out towards the forest, not noticing as his near-empty bottle of Vicodin fell out of his pocket.


	12. You're my idiot

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cave deep in the forest sat Lisa Cuddy, soaking wet and shivering. Part of her hair had become matted with the blood that ran down one side of her face. Most people in this situation would be frightened for their lives, and she was, but rather than worrying about herself and her safety, Cuddy couldn't stop thinking about House. She had promised him that she'd be careful, but now she'd gone and gotten herself lost. This meant that House was very likely lost too, as it was just like him to do something stupid like going off into a storm by himself to look for her. She just hoped that maybe, if they were lucky, he would stumble upon this cave too.

Back at the beach, Amber was just waking up. She frowned. Something didn't feel right, and looking around at Wilson and the others, it didn't take her long to realise what it was. House was gone.

"That idiot!" she groaned, being careful not to wake anyone as she stood and walked out of the plane.

"House!" She called, even though she was fairly sure he would be out of earshot. "House! If you can hear me, you better get your damn crippled ass back here right now!" Amber was interrupted from her yelling when she stepped on a small plastic bottle. She knew exactly what it was.

"Crap" she said to herself. "Why do I always have to be the one who finds House's damn pills?"

"I thought Cameron found them last time" Amber turned around to see Thirteen standing behind her with a puzzled look on her face. She sighed.

"Can I trust you?"

"Well" said Thirteen, with a small hint of sarcasm, "You do consider me your best friend, and that usually comes with some level of trust.."

"Good point" said Amber. "Okay, look. I'm going to tell you something that I didn't really want anybody else to know, so you have to keep it a secret for me, okay?"

"Okay.." said Thirteen, confused.

"Well..."

Back on the second night on the island, not long after House and Cuddy had fallen asleep by the fire, Amber found herself wide awake, the bump on the head she had received the day before throbbing. Careful not to wake Wilson as she moved, Amber stood up, thinking that taking a short walk might help her get back to sleep. She walked down and dipped her feet into the ocean, sighing as the rush of cool water relaxed her. Then, something small and hard hit her foot. Reaching down to pick it up, Amber realised that the small plastic bottle was House's missing Vicodin. She glanced over to where House was and smirked at his position with Cuddy, but her smirk soon turned to a frown. Amber couldn't return the pills herself, because then House would know that she did actually give a crap about his well being, and she did not want him to know. Looking around the beach, her eyes fell on the sleeping Cameron. _"Perfect!"_Amber thought. She'd just leave the pills near the immunolgist, and when sweet, kind, caring Dr.Cameron found and returned them nobody would blink an eyelid. No one would have to know that it was really Amber...

"So that's what happened" Amber finished. Thirteen raised an eyebrow.

"You really don't like letting people know you care do you?"

"That's not true" said Amber, crossing her arms. "Wilson knows I care. You know I care."

"I know _now_" said Thirteen. "But I had to almost drown before you told me that I was your best friend. What does that tell you?" Before this conversation could continue, the other doctors, excluding Foreman who again didn't give a damn, came pouring out of the plane, as Cameron had woken up and raised the alarm that House was missing. When Wilson spotted the Vicodin in Amber's hand he sighed.

"This is not good."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, House reached into his pocket, only to find that he had apparently misplaced his Vicodin, again.

"Crap" he muttered to himself. Listening to Cuddy's advice about being careful with his pills, House had been trying to only take a Vicodin when he really needed it. And right now he _really _needed it. House closed his eyes, trying to take his mind off the pain and concentrate on Cuddy. He had to find her, and he wasn't going to let a little thing like pain stop him. Opening his eyes, he saw a strange red mark on a tree just ahead of him. Upon closer inspection, it was obviously blood. House suddenly felt sick.

"Cuddy!" he called. "Cuddy! Lisa! Where are you?" There was no response. House searched the area for a while, before deciding Cuddy wasn't there and moving on. If that blood had anything to do with what he saw in his dream, then Cuddy was hurt, and he couldn't be sure how badly until he found her. And he was going to find her, no matter what.

At the beach, everyone else was about to head into the forest to begin the search for their missing friends. Well, almost everyone. Foreman was standing away from the others, leaning against the plane. Cameron spotted him, and walked over.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"Well actually, no" said Foreman. "I never said I would. You all just assumed everyone was coming. But House has always been an asshole to me, so I'm not willing to go off and risk my life because he was an idiot" Cameron glared at him, her green eyes flashing with anger.

"I didn't think it was possible, but you're being an even bigger asshole than House! He's gone out there, without his pain pills, so he can help someone he cares about. Yes, he's an idiot, no, he's not always the greatest person, but we've been through a lot together, and we're going to go find him. So, I'll ask you one more time Foreman. Are you coming?" Everyone else had heard this conversation, and Foreman felt seven pairs of eyes staring at him. It didn't change how he felt.

"No" he repeated. "I'm not." Cameron gave him a death glare, then walked over to Chase, taking his hand as the group headed into the forest. Amber looked back at Foreman, who was staring at the ground. She was not letting him get away with this that easily. Cameron had been too soft, and Amber was only too willing to correct that problem.

"I'll catch up in a sec" she said to Wilson, running back down the beach.

"You can't change my-" Foreman began, but was cut off when he recieved a sharp slap across the face.

"What the hell was that for?" he gasped. "I already got an ear full from Cameron." Amber smirked.

"I'm the Cutthroat Bitch" she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "It's what I do"

House's leg was throbbing unbearably. Every step was torture. But he couldn't give up. He was going to find Cuddy if it killed him. Suddenly, House caught a loose rock under his walking stick, causing him to slip and fall to the ground, screaming out in pain. Luckily, House's cries were heard because it just so happens that he had fallen not too far away from the cave where our favourite Dean of medicine was hiding.

"House?" she called, looking around frantically as she ran out of the cave. "House, where are you?"

"Cuddy?" he groaned. "Is that you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" she called, continuing to search for him. "But you don't sound so good. Where are you?" House looked up and saw Cuddy looking around not far away from him.

"Here!" he shouted. "I'm over here!" Cuddy rushed over to him, panicking as she saw him on the ground.

"What have you done to yourself now?"

"Slipped" said House, adding, "You're bleeding"

"It's nothing" said Cuddy, as she pulled House to his feet. "You shouldn't have come out here by yourself. You're an idiot, you know that?"

"I had to find you" said House, his icy eyes locking with Cuddy's cerulean ones. They stared at eachother for a while, until Cuddy slowly and unsurely wrapped her arms around House's neck, pulling his lips down to meet hers. House closed his eyes as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. This was much better than a dream. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"You're an idiot" she smiled as they broke apart. "But you're my Idiot" Suddenly, they heard a growling noise. Looking up, House and Cuddy saw that they had been surrounded by a pack of wolves. _"Crap"_ House thought. He looked at Cuddy, who was becoming frightened. No way in hell was he going to let anything happen to her now.

"Lisa. How fast can you run?"

"I don't know" said Cuddy, trying to stay calm. "Reasonably fast I guess. Why?"

"Because" said House, "When I tell you, you are going to run."


	13. Fighting with wolves

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

* * *

"What?" Cuddy gasped. "But you can't.." her eyes widened in realisation. From watching the occasional wildlife documentary over the years, Cuddy had managed to pick up that a predator would usually attack the weakest member of a group. And that was quite obviously House. Sure, they might chase her to begin with, but once they realised that House couldn't run, the wolves would quickly turn their attention to the easier prey.

"They'll kill you" Cuddy whispered.

"Maybe" said House, looking around at the snarling wolves and wondering when one of them was going to make a move. "But you'd be okay. I wouldn't mind dying if it means I'm saving you." Cuddy's eyes pricked with tears and she pulled House into a kiss, which was soon broken when House shoved Cuddy away from him, so that a lunging wolf just missed her ankle.

"Run!" House yelled.

"But.." Cuddy tried to object, but was cut off.

"Go, now!" he barked, swinging his stick to ward off the wolves. "And don't look back!" Cuddy ran, tears streaming down her face. one wolf tore off after her, but as she had suspected, it turned back once it realised House wasn't going anywhere. As House watched Cuddy disappear into the distance, thinking it was the last time he would ever see her, he felt a single tear trickle down his own cheek.

"I love you" he whispered.

Cuddy ran through the forest, sobbing, with her eyes fixed on the ground, not looking where she was going. To tell the truth, she didn't care where she was going. All she cared about now was that she was never going to see House again. She was never going to hear another one of his sarcastic comments, or tell him off for whatever unethical thing he had done. And this had happened just when she had realised how much she really loved him, and how empty her life would be without him. Luckily, however, fate had other plans in store, because as luck would have it, Cuddy suddenly crashed into our favourite oncologist, who was leading everyone's favourite gang of doctors(excluding Foreman, who was not very popular with anyone at the moment) through the woods.

"Cuddy!" he cried. "Are you okay? What happened to your head?"

"Don't worry about me" cried Cuddy, a small bubble of hope forming in her chest. "House is in trouble. We were surrounded by a pack of wolves, and he told me to run and.. Wilson, please, go help him before it's too late!"

"Okay" said Wilson, trying to remain calm. "Cameron, you take Cuddy back to the beach, and for the love of god don't get lost!" Cameron nodded and began trying to comfort the semi-hysterical Dean of medicine as she lead her back in the direction the group had come from.

"Everyone else..." said Wilson, turning to the others,"um, grab a big stick, or something that could be used to fight off wolves"

Meanwhile, House was starting to feel worn out. He couldn't fend the wolves off for much longer, and he'd already recieved a few bites to the leg. Just when he was ready to give up, six familiar figures came bursting out of the trees, wielding sticks. House was happy to see them, but he didn't think that they could do much to help, especially when he saw Wilson's stunned, deer-caught-in-the-headlights look when half of the wolves turned their attention to the new comers.

"Uh... What do we do now?" asked Kutner, as the wild animals approached them.

"I don't know" said Wilson. "I didn't really think that far ahead"

"Well" said Amber sarcastically, "Since the whole point of this little escapade is to save House, getting the wolves away from House would be a good place to start, don't you think?"

"The bitch raises a valid point!" said House, swinging his stick at the wolves.

"We should try to split them up" said Thirteen.

"Yes" said Wilson, hitting a wolf that had just tried to take a snap at his leg. "Do that." The six doctors ran off in different directions, and as they had hoped, the wolves split up in pursuit. Chase, though seemingly going against their plan of getting the wolves _away _from House, ran towards him, but this was only to try and scatter the small group that still surrounded House. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and now he and House were standing back to back, wielding their sticks like swords to fend off the blood thirsty beasts.

"That didn't work out the way I'd hoped" said Chase.

"Get out of here Wombat" said House under his breath. "Cameron and the little wombat need you"

"As much as I'd like to get back to Cameron," Chase replied, swinging his stick, "Cuddy would probably kill me if I left you behind. She'd probably kill all of us actually."

"Cuddy? Is she okay?"

"Fine, apart from the cut on her head" said Chase. "Cameron's taken her back to the beach"

Back on the beach, Foreman was beginning to feel just a little bit guilty. Yes, House was an ass, but the man had saved his life once. Hell, he had saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. And Foreman couldn't shake the feeling that if they didn't find him, a lot of future patients would be lost. Then there was Cameron. She'd been messed around by House god knows how much, but she still thought he was worth rescuing. And Amber still gave a crap even after House had given her the nickname Cutthroat Bitch. Sighing, Foreman packed a small bag of items to head into the forest with.

"Damn my guilty conscience" he muttered. As Foreman prepared to leave, he saw Cameron and Cuddy emerge from the bushes. He frowned. They'd found Cuddy, but where was everyone else?

"Cameron!" he called, running up to his former colleague who was obviously trying to ignore him. "Cameron, where are the others?" Cameron glared at him.

"Why do you care?" she snarled. Cuddy raised an eyebrow.

"What was all that about?" she asked. "And Foreman, why weren't you with the others?"

"Because he's an asshole" said Cameron, taking Cuddy's arm as she stormed off towards the plane. "Now come on, lets go fix up that cut."

"Cameron" said Foreman, following the two women.

"Piss off"

"But Cameron.." said Foreman, trying to draw her attention to the bag he was holding.

"I don't want to talk to you"

"Uh, Dr.Cameron.." said Cuddy noticing the bag that Foreman was trying to show the younger woman. Cameron spun around angrily.

"Who's side are you on?" she snapped. "I bet you wouldn't be so quick to defend him if you knew how quickly he was willing to just leave you and House in the forest to die!"

"Okay, okay, just calm down" said Cuddy, even though her own mind was anything but calm. "Stressing out over something like this is not good for your baby" Upon hearing these words, Cameron instantly calmed down, and soon spotted Foreman's bag.

"What's that for?" she asked, curious but still maintaining a slightly angry tone.

"I felt guilty, so I was going to come find you guys" said Foreman.

"Well, you better get a move on if you want to help the others" said Cameron, crossing her arms. "They were about to go fight a pack of wolves the last time we saw them"

Back in the forest, the group appeared to be holding their own against the wolves. House, who had been ready to give up not too long ago, had been re-energised by the brave efforts of the others. Amber in particular had been fighting well. At least she was until she slipped over, leaving herself completely exposed to the snarling wolf.

"Amber!" Wilson cried, trying to break away from his own wolf and come to his girlfriends rescue. Amber crawled backwards, trying to find her footing and stand up but it was no use. She was screwed. She could smell the wolf's rotten breath and feel it on her neck Wilson had escaped from his wolf and was running to her aide as fast as he could, but she knew he wouldn't make it in time. Amber closed her eyes and waited for the end to come. It didn't. Instead, Amber opened her eyes to find Thirteen savagely beating the wolf into submission. She ended her assault by giving an animalistic growl, causing the animal to run away, whimpering.

"Whoa. Remind me never to mess with you again" said Amber as Thirteen helped her up. Before Thirteen could reply, Wilson ran up, throwing his arms around Amber.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I almost just lost you! Are you okay?" he cried

"I'm fine" Amber smiled.

"Will you marry me?"

Amber's mouth fell open in shock, but before her mind could form any words, her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like a gunshot.

* * *

AN: I'm so sorry I haven't updated! The site wouldn't let me log in. Anyway, there's some big stuff coming up next chapter, so keep reading!


	14. Saved by the flare

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

* * *

Wilson dove to the ground, pushing Amber down with him. They needn't have worried. The shot come from a flare gun, and soared over them. The combination of the sound of the shot and the sparks which rained from the flare frightened the wolves, causing them to scatter and run away.

"Okay.." said Chase, as everyone, having dove to the ground at the sound of the shot, got up, dusting themselves off, "What the hell just happened?"

"God freaking loves us is what happened, woo!" House cried, punching the air.

"More like the employee with a flare gun is kinda fond of you" said Foreman, emerging from the bushes, flaregun in hand. "Not even you, really. Just the others"

"Whatever. Like I care" House shrugged.

"Thanks mate" said Chase.

Now, just as Wilson was about to ask Amber for her answer to his proposal, Thirteen interrupted as she looked around with a concerned expression on her face.

"Where's Kutner?"

"I'm up here" said a voice. Everyone looked up, and began laughing hysterically when they saw Kutner sitting in a tree with an embarrassed look on his face.

"It's not funny!" he yelled as he climbed down the tree. "Those wolves were evil!"

"Yeah, they were" Thirteen giggled, picking some leaves, and a caterpillar, out of Kutner's hair.

"Well, er, now that we've got that out of the way" said Wilson, kneeling down in front of Amber and pulling the ring, which he had been carrying around with him, out of his pocket. "Amber, I love you with all my heart. There is nothing in the world more important to me than you." Amber gave a small smirk.

"Not even House?"

"No," Wilson smiled, "Not even House. So, will you, Amber Volakis, the most precious person in my life, marry me?"

"Yes" said Amber, in a voice so soft and full of emotion that no one could really believe it was coming from the woman they had once called cutthroat bitch, "Yes, I will."

"Yeah, woo hoo!" Wilson cried, leaping to his feet. He lifted Amber and spun her around. "I love you I love you I love you!"

"I love you too" Amber smiled. They kissed, and Wilson slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Well, this is very touching and all" said House after a short silence. "But we should really be getting back to the beach so that Lisa- I mean, Cuddy and Cameron, don't think we've all been ripped to shreds by rabid wolves"

Meanwhile, back on the beach, Cuddy was trying, unsuccessfully, to take her mind off worrying about House by fishing. She had just fallen on her butt for the fifth time in a row. Cameron rushed over to help her up. Cuddy could just see the first, barely noticable sign of a tiny baby bump under her shirt.

"Are you okay?" she asked, with a hint of concern.

"Do I look okay to you?!" Cuddy snapped, then sighed, feeling guilty. "Sorry. It's just.."

"You're worried about House" Cameron finished.

"Yeah. I, um, I kissed him."

"Oh. Okay then" said Cameron. Cuddy raised an eyebrow.

"You don't seem very surprised."

"I'm not. I've kind of been expecting it actually, ever since that day I found the two of you snuggling on the beach"

"We were not snuggling!"

"Come on, Dr.Cuddy" Cameron laughed. "There's not really any point denying it now is there?"

"No, I guess there's not" said Cuddy, her eyes filling with tears. "What if the others didn't find him in time? What if I never see him again?"

"Hey, don't cry" said Cameron, wrapping the sobbing Dean of medicine in a warm hug. "Chase is out there too, remember? I'm just as worried as you are. But they're tough. They'll be fine, they all will."

* * *

AN: Only a few more chaps to go, then on to the sequel! Two more reviews and i'll be up to 100! Pretty good for my first ever fic hey?


	15. Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN: Sorry for taking so long! I had really bad writer's block

* * *

A few hours later, Cameron and Cuddy sat on the beach, waiting desperately for the others to return, when they heard familiar voices. Singing. Led by the _very_ familiar voice of a world-famous diagnostician.

"59 bottles of beer on the wall! 59 bottles of beer! You take one down, pass it around, 58 bottles of beer on the wall!" Cuddy and Cameron looked at eachother, huge smiles crossing their faces.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Come on!" said Cameron, standing and pulling the older woman, whom she now thought of as not just her boss, but a friend, to her feet. The group of doctors was just beginning to emerge from the forest. Cameron ran into Chase's arms, almost running into Kutner, who was pulled out of the way and into the arms of a giggling Thirteen. Through her relationship with Kutner, and her new-found status as Amber's best friend, the once mysterious, guarded doctor had become a little more open with the rest of the group. It was no longer a rare thing to see her smile or hear her laugh. And nowadays if she wandered off and almost drowned, everyone would_ definitely _notice. Cuddy ran to House and pulled him into a passionate kiss, causing the others to gasp in shock, except of course for Cameron, who new about them already, and Amber, who rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on," she said, "you guys cannot honestly say you never expected this."

"Well sure we expected it" said Wilson to his new fiance', "But we never expected them to be so open about it."

"Yeah" Chase added. "We thought they'd try to keep it secret, and that it would be some big scandal or something."

"If this had happened back home, we probably would have kept it secret" said House, after he and Cuddy had broken apart.

"If we were back home, this wouldn't have happened" said Cuddy, "But I'm so glad it did." She glanced down at House's legs, and frowned at the sight of his torn and bloodied pants.

"I'm fine Cuddles" said House, seeing her concerned face. "They just nipped me a few times, that's all."

"Even so" said Cuddy, "We better clean you up and put some antiseptic on those bites. I don't want you getting an infection." Cuddy pulled House off in the direction of the plane, leaving the other doctors standing in an awkward silence.

"So... what are the rest of us going to do now?" Chase asked.

"Err.." said Kutner, "go fishing?"

Over by the plane, Cuddy was dabbing antiseptic into House's wolf bites, which, despite what he said, were alot worse than little nips.

"Stop it, it stings!" House whined, trying to tug his bad leg away from Cuddy.

"Greg! Stop being such a baby!" said Cuddy.

"You've used enough" said House. "Someone else might need it. I'll be fine..

"NO!" Cuddy yelled suddenly, her eyes filling with tears. "No, you won't be fine! You'll get an infection, and then you'll get sick, and then.." she turned away from him, her voice lowering to a whisper. "I almost lost you once Greg. I don't think I could handle losing you again." She collapsed into a fit of sobs, and House pulled her into his harms.

"You won't lose me. I promise." This tender moment was interrupted by a familiar sound they could barely believe that they could hear. Cuddy lifted her head from House's chest.

"Is that..."

"It's a helicopter!" came Kutner's voice. "I can't believe it it's a helicopter!"


	16. Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN: Last chappie before the epilogue, then I'll have to take a little break from writing while I do my year 11 exams. After that it's on to the sequel, "Back To Reality".

* * *

"They must have seen the flare" said Foreman, sounding very proud of himself.

"Oh my God, we're saved!" cried Chase, pulling Cameron into a kiss before running off to join Kutner and Wilson, who were jumping up and down and frantically waving their arms at the aircraft. Cameron, beaming, turned to Amber and Thirteen, who were standing nearby, shaking their heads at the scene.

"That's our boys" she laughed.

Things began moving along quite quickly after that. The helicopter pilot said he could he could only fit three of them in that chopper, because it was already half full with paramedics, but that he had already called two more to come get everyone else. It was mutually agreed that Cameron, being pregnant, should get the first spot on the helicopter, which automatically gave Chase the second spot. Now things got a little bit complicated.

"Greg, you go" said Cuddy, looking up at House with pleading eyes, "you need to get antibiotics for your leg."

"No," said House, "I'm not leaving you behind."

"You wouldn't be leaving me behind stupid" Cuddy groaned in annoyance, "The other two helicopters will be here soon. I'll be right behind you."

"I don't care. I'm not stepping foot off this island until I'm completely sure you are too." This argument continued for quite a while, with the helicopter pilot being cruelly shot down by House when he tried to interrupt.

"Oh for god's sake, it doesn't even matter anymore!" Amber shouted, pointing into the distance. "The other helicopters are here, just get on together!" And so the problem was solved. Foreman shared the first helicopter with Chase and Cameron, While Cuddy and Wilson helped House into the second one. Amber was just about to join them when Thirteen grabbed her arm.

"Amber, I need to ask you something."

"Um, can't it wait?" said Amber, glancing at the helicopter. "This isn't really a good time, in case you haven't noticed." Thirteen shook her head, and Amber sighed. "Go ahead then, ask away." Thirteen shifted uncomfortably.

"Amber, are we.... I mean, when we go back, are we..." she paused, feeling awkward.

"Are we what?" Amber asked, getting impatient.

"Are we still friends?" Amber stood with a surprised expression which soon broke into a smile.

"I damn well hope we are!" she answered, flashing her engagement ring. "Like I said, I don't have many friends, so somebody has to be my maid of honor." Thirteen laughed and hugged the other woman.

"I'll be proud to be your maid of honor, thank you."

"Hurry up Thirteen!" called Kutner from the third helicopter. "We're going home!"

"Wow, we really are going home" Thirteen smiled, then turned to run towards the helicopter, looking back to wave at Amber. "See you there, A!"

A few hours later, they were all back inside the familiar halls of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, being fussed over by colleagues while they were given health checks. Once they were given the all clear, except for House who had to be hooked up to IV antibiotics and get shots for his wolf bites, they were instantly whisked off to press conferences and a countless number of interviews. To Cuddy it was all a great blur. She couldn't remember the answers she gave to more than half of the questions, because her mind was on House the whole time. All she wanted was to get back to him. So late that night, long after normal visiting hours were over Cuddy found herself creeping through the halls of PPTH (It felt strange to have to sneak around in her own hospital) and silently slipping into House's room.

"Hey" he said quietly, patting the empty space on the bed next to him. "How were the media bloodhounds?"

"Don't really know" said Cuddy. "I couldn't pay attention because I was a little, well, distracted." She snuggled up next to him, placing a kiss on his lips. She sighed happily. "Things are never going to be the same now are they?"

"No" House grinned, pulling her closer to him. "They're going to be so much better."

* * *

AN: Next chappie will be the epilogue, which also works as a prologue to the sequel.


	17. Epilogue Part One: Serenade

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN: With all my exams going on, it was taking me too long to write out the complete epilogue, so I've decided to split it into two parts.

* * *

Eight months had passed since our favourite gang of doctors had been rescued from the island, and surprisingly, nothing had changed since the end of their ordeal, except, of course, for the size of Cameron's belly. Kutner and Thirteen were still together, Amber and Wilson were in the middle of planning their wedding, and, defying the expectations of the rest of the hospital, House and Cuddy's relationship had survived, mostly because of their amazing ability of keeping work and home separate. Like at tonight's fundraiser, Cuddy had been concentrating on keeping House as far away from the trustees as possible. Only problem was, now she couldn't find him. Anywhere. That meant he was planning something, and that was never good.

"Excuse me, sorry, out of the way please, important hospital business" said Cuddy, pushing through the crowd of people as she searched for her boyfriend/pain in the ass employee. "Cameron!" she called, making a beeline for the heavily pregnant immunologist sitting in the corner. "Have you seen House?"

"Not for a while, sorry" she answered. "What's he done now?"

"Nothing, yet, but it's only a matter of.." Cuddy paused, looking around. "Where's Chase?"

"Working the room" said Cameron. "He didn't want to leave me alone, but I forced him into it." Cuddy looked at her sympathetically, House momentarily forgotten.

"You didn't have to come tonight you know" she said, "You should be at home resting. The baby-"

"Isn't due for another three weeks" said Cameron, cutting her off. "I'll be fine. Hey, there's Amber and Wilson. He might know where-" She was cut off when music suddenly started playing, and they looked up to the stage where speeches were usually given to see House, with a microphone.

"Hello old rich people!"

"Oh no" said Cuddy, her head in her hands.

"This is a song for my girl Lisa Cuddy. I love you." Cuddy looked up, now unsure whether she wanted to kiss House or strangle him, as he began to sing.

_"Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby."_

"I swear I had nothing to do with this!" said Wilson, raising his hands in a gesture of innocence as he and Amber approached.

_"If you need me call, no matter where you are, no matter how far"_

"God, he is such an idiot!" said Amber, gesturing at House. "How could anybody do something so stupid!"

_"Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry."_

"Oh come on, A, it's romantic" said Thirteen, pulling Kutner along behind her. "Serenading your love in front of a room full of people.."

"Normal people, yes" said Amber, "But important hospital people? That's just stupid, right Dr. Cuddy? Dr. Cuddy?" Cuddy didn't answer, she had become immersed in House's song, having completely forgotten why she was mad at him. Had she not been so distracted by him, she would have been slapping herself at how often he did that.

_"'cause baby there ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no wolves that bite enough-"_

Cuddy gave a small chuckle at House's personal spin on the song before she became distracted by Cameron suddenly gasping in pain and reaching to squeeze the hand of the nearest person, which happened to be her. Cuddy's eyes widened, having a good idea what this meant.

"Quick," she cried, turning to the others. "Somebody go find Chase!"


	18. Epilogue Part Two: It's Tuesday

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D

AN:Last chappie! sequel coming soon!

* * *

Kutner immediately leapt into action, sprinting into the crowd in search of Chase.

"I'll go get a wheelchair" said Amber.

"And I'll go to the Maternity ward and tell them we're coming" said Thirteen. House, seeing the chaos unfold from the stage, stopped singing.

"Excuse me everyone, we'll have to pick this up another time. A former protege' of mine is about to pop out a wombat." House left the stage, leaving confused murmurs coming from the room's other occupants, and soon tracked down Cuddy, who was comforting Cameron along with Wilson. Cameron glared up at him.

"I'd prefer it if you'd stop referring to my child as a wombat."

"Sorry, slip of the tongue" said House. "I meant to call it a little wombat." At that moment Kutner returned with Chase, as well as Foreman and Taub. Chase crouched beside Cameron's chair, taking her hand just in time to help her through another contraction.

"I told you I should have stayed with you" he said. Cameron gave him a weak smile.

"You couldn't have changed anything. Babies come when they come."

"Come on" said Wilson, taking Cameron's arm to help her up while Chase stood and took the other arm. "Amber should be almost back with the wheelchair by now." Once the immunologist was on her feet, her waters broke.

"My my, how original" House quipped.

"Not now, Greg" said Cuddy, rolling her eyes as she grabbed his hand and dragged him off after the others.

Meanwhile, Amber was dashing through the halls of Princeton-Plainsborough, hoping she would make it back with the wheelchair in time. Locating one not already in use had been more difficult than she had anticipated. It almost got to the point where she'd considered stealing one from someone else, but she wasn't _that_ much of a bitch. Rounding a corner into the corridor where the function room was located. Thirteen had just emerged from an elevator at the other hall and was almost to the function room when, from the corner of her eye she spotted Wilson and Chase with Cameron. Amber wasn't going to make it before they reached the exit. Thirteen quickly formulated a plan.

"Amber!" she cried, jumping up and down, waving her arms. "Over here, A, I'm open!" Amber laughed at her friend.

"Go long, Thirteen!" Amber gave the chair a shove, and Thirteen caught it just in time for Cameron to sit in it. She gave a small woop, high-fiving Amber as she approached.

Soon, the gang were all sitting in the waiting area of the maternity ward. Watching screaming women being wheeled in and out of rooms, Amber turned to Wilson, her expression deadly serious.

"We are not having children."

"Whatever you say, honey." Hours passed.

"I'm bored" said House. Cuddy sighed.

"Well, find something to entertain yourself."

"But all my favourite past-times are out of the question. Unless you want to go somewhere and.." he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Greg!" Cuddy exclaimed. "We are in the Maternity ward!" This conversation was prevented from going any further when Chase emerged, beaming.

"It's a boy!" he announced proudly. "Christopher Robert Chase. Would you like to come see him?"

Everybody quietly filed into the room, where Cameron sat staring in awe at the tiny blue bundle in her arms.

"Hi everyone" she smiled, looking up briefly before returning her attention to the blonde-haired, green eyed bundle. "This is Christopher." Everyone fussed over the baby boy, each taking turns holding him. Even House admitted that he was "cute, for a wombat." Eventually, the baby began to fuss, and soon the others left, leaving only Chase, Cameron, and their newborn son.

"You know what makes this even more perfect?" said Cameron quietly.

"What?" said Chase, mesmerised by his son's tiny hand curled around his pinky. Cameron looked up at him, smiling softly.

"It's Tuesday."


End file.
